Woman in Development and Politics
Year:2009 | Volume:7 | Issue:2 (25)|Papers Count:7

This article answers the question “is socio-economic insecurity feeling among martyr wives less than that among normal wives?” The method used for this purpose is survey and the population is all the wives in martyr families (including: martyr, veteran, prison of war) as well as normal wives residing in the main cities of Khorasan Razavi province. The Sample size includes 1176 wives of which half are normal wives and the other half are martyr wives. Sampling strategy is accompanied with multistage, proportionately stratified, cluster, systematic and random samplings. The Data is gathered by the researcher through his own made standard questionnaire. Theoretical framework includes need theory, conflict theory, and feminist theory. Results show that regarding martyr wives the rate of insecurity feeling in terms of housing, financial independence, threat sense in streets, and job is significantly less and in terms of husband illness, children’s problems, sexual need, and role of kin is significantly higher. Regarding other aspects of insecurity feeling such as financial problems, health, authority over children, role of husband, role of kin, role of legal rights, and total index of insecurity feeling no significant difference between the wives is found. The results confirm positive role of formal supportive programs for martyr families in reduction of specifically economic and physiologic insecurity feelings but also show some neglect with respect to social insecurity feelings specially at home in relationship with husband and children and outdoor in relationship with the public.

The present study tries to investigate the dissimilarities among women in the rural areas of different counties in terms of fertility, possible access (accessibility) to health, hygiene and medical attention during fertility, taking into account the difference in human and gender development index of the counties. Since the fertility variables express the condition and circumstances of a woman and types and causes of deprivations as well as uncommon needs prevent them to be in a same group, therefore it is important to have access to the divisive information about various or different groups of women. In this study it is argued that being in the same rural area does not necessarily mean that these areas are similar. Unbalanced levels of human and gender development indices, geographical isolation and different climates of rural areas causes different status in the level of fertility (deprivation fertility) and the index of possible accessibility to hygiene and health during pregnancy and after pregnancy. Therefore to have access to this information in planning and programming of the rural areas is vital. The theories considered in this research include the theory of economical fertility, theory of proximate determination and the theory of cultural fertility. This research has utilized documental-statistical of survey method. Factorial, experimental and Pearson's correlation coefficient, regression multiple experimental, cluster analysis and software of 'spss' has also been used. The outcome and results of this research show that there is a positive and significant relationship between levels of gender and human development and level of fertility benefits, contrary there is a negative relationship between the levels of human and gender development and the level of fertility deprivation. Although the intensity of this relationship has reduced in the year 1385 as compared to the year 1375, but still the relationship is significant and continuous. The relationship between deprivation and the level of benefit or returns or quotient reveals that one of the causes of a decline in fertility specially during 1385 can be the level of benefit or quotient because (or due to the facts) anywhere that women have possible access to health and hygiene during pregnancy and after pregnancy, they have shown lower tendency to the fertility.

In line with the general fertility changes in Iran, the west Azerbaijan has experienced a phenomenal fertility decline in recent years. In this study, in addition to cohort analysis of social and ideational changes, we attempt to study the interactional impact of these variables on fertility behavior and ideals of Kurd and Turk women. This research is conducted by survey method. The statistical population covers ever-married women aged 15-49 residing in Orumieh district. The total sample size is 768 households out of which finally 739 questionnaires have been analyzed. A combination of sampling techniques including multistage clustering and systematic random sampling are employed. Findings show that regarding the case study a general change is observed in terms of social and family changes. According to this study a noticeable ideational changes has occurred in marriage, childbearing, fertility behavior and ideals of women. Results confirm that social and family changes are accompanied with changes in attitudes related to marriage and childbearing and finally fertility behavior and ideals. Findings support the results of the previous researches about the diffusion of low fertility values and norms and convergence in fertility behavior and ideals of ethnic groups.

Everyday life not only provides a favorable context for the application of power, but also it has a good potential far praxis, creativity and independence of subject. Family is one of the most important spheres in which women receive the principal role. Considering that it is not without power relations therefore it demands resistance tactics just as any other fields of power strategies. This article measures the type and level of women’s resistances towards patrimonial power in family. Results show that women show relatively moderate and weak resistance in 5 types. Resistance and marital power show significant negative correlation. It means that the more power women have in the family, the less they have to resist. Besides, if women marry at older age, work or their husbands have higher levels of education, they have more power in their marital relationship and less resistance. Further Results reveal that women demand more attention, participation and amity. Thus if men recognize the significance of women’s role and are better at convincing women when trying to get their agreements in important decisions, they will face less resistance and the family will have less tension.

One of the important issues in development is the rate of active participation of women in different fields including macro-decision makings of society. Gender inequality especially in management field has caused much potential of women to be left untouched. In Most countries women have a share in social, economic decisions. But Iran has not been successful in this process. There are many theories for explaining gender inequality .for example: Neo Classic,-Segmentation of labor market, Gender (Feminist), socialization, social learning and others theories. These theories emphasize on gender and body traits of women, household responsibility and social conditions of organizations and society, gender socialization and gender stereotype variables. The aim of this survey is to study the factors that affect gender inequality especially in management field. Here, we consider gender and body traits of women, household responsibility and social conditions of organizations and society variables that are more important. The sample size of survey is 408 staff of state organizations in east Azerbaijan province. The results show that there are invisible obstacles known as “glass ceiling” in these organizations. Thus, gender and body traits of women, household responsibility, social conditions of organizations, education, family and age affect gender inequality especially in management domain.

In order to develop a country it is necessary to pay attention to women’s role particularly their talents and abilities. Many governments have overcome their economical crisis by adopting measures and policies for higher participation of women. Sociological theories argue that social structure, workplace, and family affect women’s access to entrepreneurial opportunities and may influence performance. The families can create opportunities and limitations that affect women’s individual efforts. The current essay surveys family situation and family support in entrepreneurial activity. The results of the statistical analysis show that family’s entrepreneur, divorce, husband’s death, emotion family, financial, and networks support are some of effective factors in development of women entrepreneurship. Among them “economical needs” are the most effective factors in start up of Iranian women's business.

The foundation of feminist methodology is a critique of both natural and social sciences as being andocentric. The feminists believe that research questions, concepts, theories, methodologies and knowledge claims, which are supposed to be value – free/ gender – free, have produced a distorted and injustice understanding of both nature and social life. It is argued that the orthodox social science has omitted, or at its best sense, underestimated the women experiences taken place in their social world. Then, by the second half of twentieth century, feminism, whether as a critique, theoretical perspective based on critical paradigm, or as an independent paradigm emerged in contemporary social sciences, has raised a number of serious questions to challenge the basic principles and assumptions of traditional consensus-positivist paradigm. Accordingly, it has proposed its own alternative ontology, epistemology and methodology. Feminist perspective emphasizes that the knowledge is essentially local, situational, contextual and historical rather than universal and meta- contextual entity. This Paper aims to explore the paradigmatic foundations and critical debates in feminist research. In doing so, beginning first with a brief review on general perspective of feminism and its historical trend, it addresses the sub approaches of feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint and feminist postmodernism. Then, it focuses on the paradigmatic foundations of feminism including that of ontology, epistemology and methodology respectively. The final part of paper deals with the feminist methodology, methodological critiques against positivist research and the principles and procedures of feminist research methods